The Bulletin Newsletter: March of 2026

Portrait of Spencer McIlvain by Samuel Bell Waugh (1876). Spencer McIlvain was born in 1803, in what is today known as Ridley, but was also known as Leiperville. McIlvain was employed in the sawmill, tannery, and homestead farm during the life of his father. All of McIlvain's active business life was devoted to farming, grazing beef cattle for the Philadelphia markets, and operating in the extensive quarries on his estate. In 1838, he was elected one of the County Commissioners. In 1872, he sold the greater part of his reality to William Simpson, the founder of the Eddystone Print Works, but prior to that he had laid out into streets a tract in the present Fifth ward of Chester and erected several cotton factories and a few dwellings. Today, his family home still stands in Eddystone, and his former properties were sold to create the Baldwin Locomotive Works.

Events and Programming:

DCHS is participating in the National History Day (NHD) competition on March 26^th and 27^th, 2026. The competition is open to middle school and high school students in Delco and is a wonderful opportunity to engage with academic history writing and presentations. 2026 is the 250^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and students will be asked to present on the themes embedded in the founding documents. Please share the info below with your students and colleagues, to encourage participation in Delco. Last year Delco students performed better than their county peers, and we hope to do so again this year!

Please see below for links and information to share with your students about registration and more. We hope to see you at the Chester County History Center in West Chester in March!

Registration opens:  January 15^th, 2026.

Registration closes: March 11^th, 2026.

Register here: PA Region 10 National History Day 

Courtesy of Sports Legends of Delaware County Museum. Special thanks to Steve Burman and The Burman Family Charitable Fund-In Memory of Harvey Burman.

For the next collaborative exhibit with the Sports Legends of Delaware County, Vietnam veterans Bill Carpenter (football), Ed Dougherty (golf), John Cartwright(football), Bo Ryan (basketball), and Howard Starks(football) will be honored for their service during the Vietnam War era. Each of these Delco sports legends established a lasting legacy of courage, sacrifice, and character while serving his country. 

The Vietnam Veterans Exhibit is expected to run from March 10th to April 14th, 2026, and will be free to the public. Support has been provided by the Historical Society’s Steve Burman Exhibition Fund. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. For more information, contact Jim Vankoski at (610) 909-4919 or vankoski21@comcast.net, or visit the museum online at www.delcosportsmuseum.org.

Are you looking for a volunteer opportunity this summer? Would you like to help your local organizations? The look no further than Delco Volunteers! With thanks to America 250 PA-Delco, Delco Volunteers is a program that connects folks to organizations they would wish to help! If you are someone who wants to volunteer, or if you are an organization that is looking for extra help, click the link below to register for opportunities to help support local non-profits!

Volunteer with America250PADelco

Also, if you have a non-profit or business that you would like to partner with America 250 Delco, become a Community Programming Partner today! The Community Program Partnership connects you with events and programming to the community of Delco for the America 250 celebrations. Sign up today!

https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/diucjf1TbRiQESo9fy-l9Q

Mark your calendars! History Under the Stars returns on Wednesday April 15th at DCHS. Our first presentation will feature beer historian Richard Wagner, who will discuss 18th century brewing techniques, and the history of brewing in Delco!

Help DCHS Preserve Historic Delco Art!

An alleged portrait of Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, dating from circa 1824/1825. One of the works DCHS is looking to have restored for our America 250 open house on Fourth of July!

DCHS has launched a new fundraising campaign called "Help Save Historic Delco Art!". The fundraiser is to help DCHS restore and protect incredible pieces of Delco art history for the public to enjoy. Preserving and restoring these works is a costly endeavor, but necessary to help ensure that these works of art are preserved for the next generation of stewards to appreciate. The goal of DCHS is to have the Marquis de Lafayette portrait restored by Fourth of July, and to have a continuing rotation of works restored after. With each work restored, DCHS will feature the work on display during our special open house events for the community of Delaware County. Your support will help ensure these wonderful Delco historic treasures are preserved.

Click here to donate to our fundraiser directly!

https://givebutter.com/help-save-historic-delco-art-iaisow

From the Archives:

A photo of Dr. Anna Broomall, dating from sometime in the 1920's.

In honor of Women's History Month, DCHS would like to honor one of Delco's most significant historic figures, Dr. Anna Broomall.

Dr. Broomall was born in 1847, and was raised in Upper Chichester Township. Her father was John M. Broomall, a prominent lawyer and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for the PA 7th congressional district from 1863-1869. Anna originally wanted to be a lawyer, but her father advised against it. She decided to instead become a doctor, with her father's support, telling her if she was to be a doctor, "Then be the best one."

Anna Broomall enrolled in the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania at the age of 19 and graduated with her doctor of medicine degree in 1871. Anna with eight other medical students, were the first women to attend lectures at Pennsylvania Hospital, where they were jeered and catcalled by their male peers. After college, Dr. Broomall traveled to Europe to study obstetrics under Carl Braun in Vienna. She returned to Philadelphia in 1874 and accepted a position as a physician at the Woman's Hospital of Philadelphia. In her thirty year career, she implemented strict medical standards she learned in Europe, helping to reduce mortality rates drastically for expecting mothers. In January 1888, she established the first outpatient maternal health and prenatal care clinic in the United States in Philadelphia, a lasting legacy in her career.

Outside of medicine, she was a dedicated volunteer to organizations such as Delaware County Institute of Science, Delaware County Botanical Society, and of course DCHS. In fact it was Dr. Broomall who helped create the first library and collections for DCHS in 1923, securing the 1724 Chester Courthouse as the first home of DCHS. She helped build our library, collect historical items, photograph historic sites, write pamphlets, and host lectures. Dr. Broomall would be active with DCHS until the time of her death on April 4th, 1931. Dr. Broomall's impact on DCHS was significant in helping to establish and create the collection we have today, and DCHS is indebted to her work.

Thanks again to the Media Chapter NAACP for their collaboration with DCHS for our Winter Open House Exhibit. One piece on display featured prominent Civil Rights activist George Raymond.

Raymond was born in 1914 in Chester and graduated from Chester High School in 1933. Raymond worked for the Chester Boys Club and soon joined the NAACP. In 1942, Raymond became the leader of the Chester NAACP and worked closely with Rev. J. Pious Barbour of Calvary Baptist Church. Raymond and Barbour adopted a non-violent approach in the fight for civil rights, and by 1945 successfully desegregated theaters, restaurants, and other businesses in Chester. In 1958, Raymond and his family purchased a home in the neighborhood of Rutledge. The day before he was due to move in, the house was burned down. The township attempted to implement eminent domain and claim the property to build a new town hall. Raymond threatened legal action, and the township dropped the claim. Raymond rebuilt his home and took residence in 1959. Pictured here, we have a photo of Raymond used by the Delco Daily Times in their report, as well as copy on the story as it developed.

To learn more about the Media Chapter NAACP, please visit their website for more information: https://naacpmediabranch.org/

Recently, DCHS had this wonderful broadside returned to us from the Library Company of Philadelphia. Dated sometime between 1786 and 1787, the broadside is a poem of Johnny Gilpin, a character created by William Cowper. In the poem, Gilpin is a wealthy landowner from Cheapside, England, traveling with his family to Bell Inn. Gilpin's horse bolts from his family and they are separated. Written and first published in 1782, it quickly became a popular story. By 1785 it was so popular that it was read by the actor, John Henderson to acclaim, and one bookseller reportedly sold 6,000 copies.

This copy was printed by Robert Aitken and William Prichard of Market-Street, Philadelphia. Robert Aitken was a significant publisher in Philadelphia, publishing the Pennsylvania Magazine in 1771, and would receive pieces from figures such as Thomas Paine and Benjamin Franklin.

Special Thanks to our Partners:

Delaware County Community College

Sports Legends of Delaware County Museum

Media Arts Council

Media Borough

Delaware County Institute of Science

YES, Center of Chester

The Mill at Rockdale

Warehouse 3 in Swarthmore

Media Chapter NAACP

Elwyn Inc.

America 250 Delco

Visit Delco

Visit Media

Greatest Hits Records and Books

Three Potato Four

Ship Bottom Brewery

Special Thanks to the DCHS 2026 Sponsors:

Delaware County Council

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission

Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semi-Quincentennial

National Endowment for the Humanities

Delaware County Interactive Gaming Revenue Authority

The Burman Family Charitable Fund

Mr. Andrew Saul

Dr. John S. Brooks

Visit Delco!

The Philadelphia Foundation

Please consider supporting DCHS today by donating or becoming a member. Funding by members and friends help DCHS continue our mission of collecting and preserving Delaware County history and culture and making it available to the community!

Donate/Friend of DCHS

 Venmo- @Delcopahistory

You can send a check or money order made out to Delaware County Historical Society, and mail it to our address at: 9 W. Front Street, Media, PA 19063

Links and Contact Information:

DCHS Website: Delaware County Historical Society (padelcohistory.org)

Follow DCHS on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/padelcohistory

Follow DCHS on Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/padelcohistory/

Check out our YouTube Page: Delaware County Historical Society - YouTube

Email:

Director, Paul Hewes: outreach@padelcohistory.org

Library and Program Manager, Zach Beaver: research@padelcohistory.org

General Inquires: info@padelcohistory.org 

Phone: 610-750-0622

Address: 9 W. Front Street- Media, PA 19063. Tuesday through Thursday, 10 am to 3pm.